Mata Nui

Gradually, along with the other Matoran, Jala lost his memory about Metru Nui and became smaller and weaker due to the effect of the sphere he was in. His athletic ability, devotion to his duty, and leadership skills made him the logical choice to be the right hand of Turaga Vakama. He was loyal to all Matoran and Toa and did his work diligently, leading the Ta-Koro Guard to protect all of Mata Nui. He secretly wished to explore Mata Nui, but understood that he shouldn't and restrained himself.

He was the leader of the Ta-Koro Guard during the Matoran-Rahi War, and organized the forces of Mata Nui against the Rahi of Teridax. He was also considered the leader of the Mata Nui Military. Jala and several other Guardsmen were the first to find ToaTahu when he arrived on Mata Nui. He also met with Takua in his hut around this time, when a guard team of his had disappeared in Ko-Wahi. He made Takua a member of the Guard and sent him to examine the situation.

During the Bohrok War, Jala went all over Mata Nui with Takua to help the villages out. In Ga-Koro, he met a Ga-Matoran named Hahli, and the two came to share an affectionate friendship.

During the attack of the Bohrok-Kal, Jala helped the Toa Nuva with in any way he could, even managing to capture a Krana-Kal from the Pahrak-Kal. After the defeat of the Kal, he and Takua were built into bigger, stronger forms in secret by the Turaga. They were then shown to the rest of the Matoran of Mata Nui, who were then rebuilt as well. Subsequently, a Naming Day Ceremony was held, in which Jala was rechristened Jaller.

Not long afterward, Jaller and Takua competed in the Kolhii Tournament, but lost the championship to Ga-Koro. It was during the end of the match in which the mask was discovered. Upon Takua's discovery of the Great Mask of Light, he and Jaller were sent on a quest to find the Seventh Toa. Although Takua had found the mask, he didn't want the responsibility of carrying it, and convinced everyone else that Jaller was the Herald of the Toa of Light, and not him. Jaller, however, got him to come along, and together, they traveled the island in search of the mysterious Seventh Toa. During this time, they witnessed the release of the Rahkshi and the near-destruction of Onu-Koro.

When the mask finally led them to the Kini-Nui temple, a climactic battle began between the Rahkshi and the Toa Nuva. In the end, Jaller sacrificed his life to save Takua from being killed by the Rahkshi Turahk. Takua then realized his destiny, and donned the mask, transforming into the Toa of Light and renaming himself Takanuva. He then went underground to the Mangaia lair, where he confronted Makuta. He then sent Hahli, who had come with him, to bring the rest of the Matoran to the lair. Shortly after they arrived, Takanuva and Makuta fell into a pool of Energized Protodermis, and emerged fused into a single being, Takutanuva. The new entity then lifted the massive gate in the tunnel leading to Metru Nui, enabling the Matoran to pass and see their original home once more. As Hahli went by, carrying Jaller's mask, Takutanuva stopped her and, taking the mask, gave up a fraction of his life force to bring Jaller back to life. Afterward, the weakened Takutanuva could no longer hold the gate open, and it fell on top of him, splitting him back into two separate beings. Makuta's armor was crushed, but Takanuva somehow survived. The Matoran then returned to the surface, and as the Turaga finally told their stories of Metru Nui, they prepared to sail back to the city.

Toa Inika

Journey to Voya Nui

Shortly after the Matoran returned to Metru Nui, Jaller became upset that the Turaga were once again keeping secrets from the Matoran. He went to Turaga Dume and demanded that the Matoran be told what was going on. When Dume refused, Jaller declared a city-wide strike; for days, not a single Matoran did any more work, not even to build shelters for themselves. Eventually, Turaga Nokama went to Jaller in secret and explained that the Great Spirit Mata Nui was in danger of dying, and that the Toa Nuva had been sent to try to obtain the Kanohi Ignika, the Great Mask of Life that could save Mata Nui; this was kept from the Matoran to keep them from worrying about something they could do little about. Refusing to wait helplessly while the Toa Nuva went after the Ignika, Jaller decided to gather a group of strong Matoran and travel to Voya Nui to aid the Toa Nuva.

Accompanied by Hahli, Hewkii, Matoro, Kongu, Nuparu and Takanuva, who insisted on coming, Jaller set off for the "Island of Doom" via unused underground chutes. They came out of the chutes in a desolate area to the south of Metru Nui, and headed onward through the bleak landscape. During this journey, they had to pass through a tunnel which devoured all light, and later came to an archway with an invisible energy barrier that beings of light could not get through. Takanuva was forced to turn back, but the Matoran were able to go on, and headed up the seemingly endless slopes of a mountain. There they stumbled upon a bizarre land guarded by monstrous Manas crabs and inhabited by damaged, despairing Matoran. They then discovered that this was the realm of Karzahni, long thought to be a myth, and were subsequently imprisoned by its ruler, who took away their masks and forced them to wear different ones. Jaller replaced Toa Lhikan's old Hau with a Calix. They eventually managed to escape using long-abandoned Toa Canisters, which took them to Voya Nui.

Quest for the Ignika

When Jaller and the other five Matoran arrived on Voya Nui, they were struck by bolts of lightning from the Red Star, which transformed them into Toa. However, they soon discovered that they were not ordinary Toa; their Kanohi had become organic, and when these masks were removed, their faces now gave off a blinding glow. They then set off to find the Toa Nuva, and discovered their mask powers along the way. At one point, they encountered the PirakaVezok and, in their first battle as Toa, defeated him. After the battle, Vezok managed to escape, and the Inika met with the Matoran of the Voya Nui Resistance Team. The Matoran told them of the Piraka and of the Toa Nuva's defeat by Brutaka, and they and the new Toa then split into teams: Hewkii, Matoro, Balta, and Kazi went to find Axonn, Brutaka's former friend who had helped the Matoran in the past. Jaller, Hahli, Dalu, and Piruk went to the volcano and used Zamor Spheres filled with Energized Protodermis to free the Matoran who had been enslaved by the Piraka's Antidermis virus and forced to drain the lava from Mount Valmai, while Nuparu, Kongu, Velika and Garan infiltrated the Piraka Stronghold.

Jaller as a Toa Inika

After their jobs were completed, the other Toa and Matoran headed off to the Stronghold. There they re-united with the others and a battle between the Piraka and the Toa Inika began. The melee was abruptly ended, however, when Hakann and Thok used a special Zamor Sphere to drain Brutaka's power and channel it into themselves. The rest of the Piraka and Toa were knocked unconscious and imprisoned, all except Nuparu and Zaktan, whose fight had taken them out to the Voya Nui Bay. After defeating Zaktan, Nuparu returned and freed his comrades. The Inika and the rest of the Piraka soon struck a deal; the Toa freed them and they created a Zamor Sphere that would reverse the effect of the one used on Brutaka. They all then went after Hakann and Thok.

The first to find the two Piraka was Zaktan, and immediately a lengthy battle ensued. In the end, Brutaka's power was sent back to him, and the 777-step stairway leading to the Chamber of Life was revealed. When the Inika awoke, they realized that the Piraka had gone down the staircase, and followed them.

Jaller brandishes his sword

As they walked down the staircase, the Inika encountered an incarnation of the Ignika in the form of Toa Lhikan, who warned them that they should turn back. The Inika refused, pointing out that the real Toa Lhikan would never abandon such a vital quest. Lhikan then disappeared, and the Inika continued.

The Toa Inika soon came upon the Zone of Nightmares, where they faced old enemies brought to life by the Ignika. Jaller ended up fighting a Turahk, while the other Toa battled a Bohrok, a Bohrok-Kal, a Muaka, a Nui-Rama and even Makuta himself. Jaller tried to trap the Turahk with a wall of flame around it, but the lightning with which his power had been infused ended up killing the Rahkshi of Fear. The other Toa Inika all ended up similarly killing their opponents by accident, and after the battle were horrified to see the dead creatures transform into the corpses of none other than the Toa Nuva. Afraid of their powers, the Inika considered turning back, but Jaller encouraged them to go on. As they did, the Toa Nuva suddenly disappeared, and they realized that they had been only illusions.

The Toa Inika faced their next challenge when they were sealed within another chamber, and the recorded voice of one of the Great Beings who had created the stairway then told them that in order to go on, one of their number must die. Jaller felt that, as the team's leader, he should make the sacrifice, but the memory of his earlier death at the hands of a Rahkshi made him hesitate. Matoro volunteered, pointing out that he had never been a warrior or athlete like the others, and thus was the logical choice. He then was disintegrated in a beam of power, but was immediately restored to life afterward. The Toa were then allowed to continue, and hurried on.

Venturing further down, Jaller and his team were attacked by Protodax, microscopic Protodites that had been enlarged to Toa size by the Ignika. The ensuing battle with the monsters proved to be a losing one, since the creatures could self-duplicate when struck. However, the Inika were saved from death at their claws when the Protodax were destroyed by a being known as Umbra, who challenged the Toa alone. Possessing the ability to turn into an incredibly fast beam of light, the guardian quickly disarmed the Toa Inika, but Matoro came up with the idea of creating a mirror of ice that disrupted Umbra's flight; when he struck it, Umbra was sent headlong into the ground, bringing him to a crashing halt and stunning him.

They eventually arrived in a massive chamber with a river of lava flowing through it, where they saw the Piraka had set up an ambush on a bridge. The Toa stormed the bridge and drove off most of the Piraka, but were trapped when the bridge collapsed on them. They freed themselves, and went after the Piraka into the Chamber of Life, where they fought the Ignika's last guardians: Vezon, the seventh Piraka, and his massive spider mount, Fenrakk. The two proved to be more than a match for the Toa Inika, but a burst of fire from Jaller knocked Vezon and Fenrakk off-balance, and they plummeted into a nearby body of lava. Jaller was hastily considering going into the lava to retrieve the Ignika attached to Vezon's head, a plan Hahli considered insane.

Before any of them could act, however, Vezon re-emerged from the inferno, with Fenrakk now mutated into the enormous Kardas dragon. The battle resumed, now exponentially more intense and brutal, and soon the Toa were facing certain death. However, using a special Zamor Sphere given to them by Axonn, they managed to freeze Vezon and Kardas in time and space. Matoro retrieved the Mask of Life from Vezon's head, but it flew from them and went up to the surface. The Toa followed, pursued by the Piraka, until the mask plunged into the sea and disappeared. They then met up with Axonn and the rescued Toa Nuva, and, as the Nuva set off on a new mission, Axonn showed the Inika a passageway leading down through the Stone Cord, which the Toa then took, heading after the Mask of Life toward Mahri Nui. Vezon followed them inside the Cord and tried to attack the Toa, only to remember he was powerless without the Mask of Life. The battle ended when Jaller incinerated Vezon's Spear of Fusion.

Toa Mahri

Transformation and The Pit

Journeying through the cord, the Toa Inika had to fight a running battle with a group of savage beings called Zyglak. Eventually, they arrived in the Pit, upon which they were transformed by a pulse of energy from the Mask of Life into water-breathing versions of themselves. They then discovered a Matoran city, called Mahri Nui, and tried to convince its inhabitants that they meant no harm. Wary of the Toa, the Matoran told them to go free the Fields of Air; then they would trust them. Matoro stayed behind to continue negotiations with the Matoran, while the others headed for the fields.

When they got there, they were intercepted by the Barraki and their armies of sea creatures. The Barraki then took the five Toa with them to a series of sea caves, and then departed. They quickly proceeded to escape, by various methods. Upon leaving the caves, Jaller and Kongu were ambushed by Kalmah and Carapar, who had come back to check on them. Kongu was almost killed by a squid, but was saved by a Hahnah Crab that had befriended Jaller. He then used his Mask of Summoning to call forth a monstrous creature from ancient times out of slumber, which quickly broke up the fight. The Barraki retreated, and Jaller and Kongu reunited with the other Toa, who then equipped themselves with weapons found in a cave. During this time, the Matoran of Mahri Nui finally began to trust the Toa, and their leader, Defilak, bestowed the the Toa with the title of Toa Mahri in gratitude of their struggles against the Barraki.

When Matoro informed the other Toa that they would have to destroy the Stone Cord to accomplish their mission, they decided to evacuate the Matoran to Voya Nui. While escorting them up the Cord, the Toa were ambushed by their old enemies, the Piraka, who had been mutated into snake-like forms. However, the marauders were defeated by Axonn, who then brought the Matoran the rest of the way to the surface. He then informed the Toa Mahri that he would keep the Matoran safe by sheltering them in the caves of Voya Nui, while the island returned to its original location. He also provided the Toa with a large insectoid creature to take them back to the Pit quickly.

The Death of Mata Nui

When they arrived in the Pit, a large-scale battle between them, the Barraki, Gadunka, Hydraxon, and Maxilos began. During the fight, Jaller and Matoro were able to obtain the Mask of Life, and withdrew to a rendezvous with the other Toa near Mahri Nui. They then destroyed the Stone Cord, and Voya Nui began to sink beneath the sea and return to its original location, with the Toa following it and being pursued by the Barraki. But as they swam after the island, they all felt the universe change abruptly as Mata Nui died.

Matoro's Death

"Not "we," Matoro -- you. Go and try, for all of us. We'll stay here and buy you time."

Matoro decided to follow Voya Nui, believing that something could still be done. Jaller told Matoro to go on ahead without the rest of the team, who would stay behind to fight the Barraki. Knowing that the five Toa could not win against the Barraki and their armies, Jaller decided to perform a Nova Blast, a last resort that would kill the Barraki, most of their sea creatures, and the Toa. But before he did so, the Toa Mahri were suddenly teleported back to Metru Nui, and found they were able to breathe air again. They then realized that Matoro had used the Mask of Life to revive Mata Nui and save the other Toa. Turaga Vakama then approached and explained that he had seen the end of Matoro in a vision. They then headed for the Coliseum and made preparations for a memorial service.

Guardians of Metru Nui

After their adventures in Voya Nui and Mahri Nui, Jaller and the other Toa Mahri served as guardians of Metru Nui. During that time, they battled the Toa Hagah and a massive rahi summoned by Kualus. After helping the Toa Hagah get under the Coliseum, Nuparu, Jaller, and Hahli were dispatched on a mission by Helryx to Artidax to summon all of the Visorak there. During that time, they met Takadox, who hypnotized all three into a trance. While still under Takadox's influence, Jaller was mentally contacted by Makuta, who snapped the Toa out of his trance who was still in Takadox's trance. Jaller then hurled fireballs at both Hahli and Nuparu freeing both of them from their induced state, and the three began swimming back swimming back to Metru Nui. After arriving, the three Toa found Metru Nui under attack by the Brotherhood of Makuta. TuragaVakama told the Toa Mahri about his plan to drive the Rahkshi by them finding Krakua, a Toa of Sonics, and asking him to awaken a group of Bohrok residing in the Archives. After Hahli found Krakua and told him of the Turaga's plan, she then began to rouse the sea in attempt to wreck the Brotherhood's fleet, but a storm suddenly started beyond the city walls, and tossed the fleet around.

Three vehicles then arrived above the city, which were Toa Nuva and Takanuva riding on the Rockoh T3, Jetrax T6, and Axalara T9. With the Toa Nuva's help, the Toa Mahri and the Order of Mata Nui drove the invaders back. After the surviving invaders departed, the Toa Nuva confirmed that the Great Spirit Mata Nui had been awakened, and Turaga Dume and Vakama both declared the following day to be one of grand celebration inside the Coliseum.

However, the event was interrupted by the presence of Makuta, who announced that he had taken over the body of the Great Spirit.

He and the rest of the Toa Mahri traveled to Zakaz after the order gave them information stating that the Skakdi had obtained Energized Protodermis. Jaller and the rest of his team watched as several individuals of varying lifeforms (including the mutated Piraka) into the vat. Then a monstrous life form emerged and took a strange position. The Toa Mahri were then hypnotized into serving the Skakdi.

Spherus Magna

Sometime later, Jaller evacuated the Matoran Universe along with the Skakdi and is currently on Spherus Magna. He then traveled with the Skakdi to a beach where he, although enslaved, witnessed the golden being create a fortress on the cliff. After witnessing the Mahri's subservience to the gold being as it was passing by, Kopaka informed the Toa Hagah of this situation, and they promised him that they would do everything in their power to snap the Toa Mahri out of whatever trance the creature had placed them under. Ultimately, the Golden Being's hold on them was disrupted during its battle with Annona, and the Toa Mahri were freed.

Alternate Universes

Jaller, still a Matoran, ventured to Artakha to retrieve the Kanohi Vahi. The parallel Teridax referred to the parallel Jaller as a "fanatic".

On a quest to retrieve the Kanohi Vahi for the Makuta in the Archives, Takanuva intercepted the Ussal cart and convinced his Toa escorts, Bomonga and Kualus, that he was sent by Tuyet to help guard the Vahi. When he finally gave away that he wasn't a part of the empire by speaking out, he was saved by Lesovikk, who defeated the Toa and destroyed the cart.

Jaller had helped Matoro by giving him time to get the Ignika to where it should go, but Matoro had hesitated, for a second, and the entrance to Karda Nui was cut off. Matoro then teleported the team back to Metru Nui. They gained a somewhat bad reputation, due to their association with Matoro.

The Toa Mahri helped Tahu and Kopaka drive away several Rahkshi that killed Hewkii and Pohatu. He eventually met Toa Takanuva, who helped him by telling him about the Walls of History in every district to help him learn about the history of The Kingdom.

Personality

"Vakama says he'll save us, but I don't see the point in putting ALL our hopes in him. You can never have too much security."

—Jala on the arrival of Toa Tahu

Jaller led the Ta-Koro Guard through nearly a thousand years of wartime, and as such, was a dedicated and dutiful being. Though grim, at times bordering humorless, he later softened notably, due in part to his newfound friendship with the more laid-back Takua. Jaller was firmly dedicated to his duty, and determined not to repeat the mistakes of previous Toa of Fire, who were more brave than sensible. He was careful to consider all courses of action before doing anything, and made sure his teammates were all in agreement before moving on. But he is, and will be haunted by the fact that he died on the island of Mata Nui.

Abilities

As a Ta-Matoran, Jaller possessed inaccessible Elemental Fire powers; this manifested in the form of a natural resistance to heat and fire. These powers were fully granted to him as a Toa of Fire. As a Toa of Fire, Jaller could create, control, and absorb heat and flame, as well as other things. During his time as an Inika, Jaller's flame powers were entwined with electrical energy, meaning flames he produced were laced with lightning. As a Toa Mahri, Jaller's fire powers were normal, without electricity. However, it was difficult and tiring for him to use fire underwater.

Mask and Tools

As a Matoran, Jaller wore Lhikan's Noble Hau, Mask of Shielding. However, being a Matoran, he was unable to use the mask power. As a Matoran, he also bore innate fire elemental powers, which gave him resistance to extreme heat.

As a Toa Inika, Jaller wore an organic Great Calix, Mask of Feat, which allowed him to perform to the absolute limits of his physical abilities and pull off seemingly impossible leaps, dodges, sprints, and jumps. He carried a pair of Energized Flame Swords and a multi-shot Zamor Launcher.

Appearances

Gallery

Trivia

Jaller was the one who came up with the name 'Inika' for his team.

While originally named Jala, Lego was faced with legal action from Pacific Islanders, and as such his name was changed to Jaller (along with various other characters and items whose names were based on the languages of the Pacific Islands. See BIONICLE for more information.)